Chapter 5 – Double Soul

Locking Xue in their room all day while she was gone would’ve been a dick move. So Lin Yue found her a job.

The innkeeper proved surprisingly amenable to a deal—one copper per day to let Xue work as a dishwasher and waitress. Practically slave wages, but the old man would keep an eye on her while she handled other business.

“Stand still.” Lin Yue adjusted the folds of Xue’s new robe, smoothing the fabric across her shoulders. The red sash added a splash of color against the gray-black cotton. In the bronze mirror, their matching outfits created an odd symmetry.

Xue’s yellow-blonde hair added another splash of color, freshly scrubbed with the lye soap. Half a silver well spent—and a bribe to the maid had secured them access to the kitchen’s water tank instead of dealing with endless basin-hauling for the scrub down.

Lin Yue ran fingers through her own clean hair. When was the last time she’d felt this fresh? The streets had a way of grinding filth into every pore until it became normal.

“We look like sisters!” Xue lifted her arms, making the sleeves dance in the air.

“You wish, brat.” Lin Yue ground her knuckles into Xue’s scalp, mussing the clean hair.

“Eep!” Xue ducked away, giggling.

Lin Yue patted down her robes, checking her hidden weapons and coin purse. Everything in place. She ushered Xue into the hallway and then turned the key in the lock. Click.

The brass key disappeared into a concealed pocket, secured with a length of twine.

The wooden stairs creaked under their feet as Lin Yue guided Xue down to the common room. The innkeeper stood behind his counter, polishing a ceramic cup with methodical strokes. His weathered eyes scanned them both from head to toe, lingering on their matching outfits.

“Kitchen’s through there.” He jerked his chin toward a doorway draped with hemp curtains.

A plump woman emerged from the kitchen, beckoned to Xue with flour-dusted hands. Xue glanced back at Lin Yue before scampering off. The kitchen staff swarmed around her like mother hens, cooing and fussing.

“Thanks for—” Lin Yue turned toward the door.

“Hold it.” The innkeeper set down his cup. “Lot of blood in your washing water. Scared the cleaning girl half to death.”

Lin Yue stopped.

“Don’t know what trouble you and your sister are in.” He planted both palms on the counter. “But I’ll say this once—bring it to my door, you’re out. Won’t see that deposit again, either.”

Lin Yue spun back and leaned across the counter until their faces nearly touched. “Already got you figured out, old man. You’re soft as fresh bread.” She tilted her head. “If something happens to me out there, take care of Xue. She’s got no one else.”

The innkeeper met her stare and grunted.

A grin spread across Lin Yue’s face as she backed away, throwing up a casual wave. Even the bouncer’s perpetual glare couldn’t dampen her mood as she strode out into the morning air.

She wandered past the usual pickpocket hotspots. The crowds of merchants haggling over silks and spices held no appeal today. A quick turn down a side street led to the quieter corners of Inn Street where delivery carts and kitchen waste dominated the atmosphere.

Perfect. The narrow gap between a wine shop and defunct tea house offered the solitude she needed. Discarded crates and broken pottery littered the cramped space and the musty scent of rotting wood mixed with sour wine dregs spilling from cracked jugs.

Lin Yue settled onto an overturned barrel, positioning herself to watch both ends of the alley. No windows overlooked the spot. Just brick walls and shadows.

“Time to talk, you parasitic bastard.” Lin Yue drummed fingers against the barrel. “Get out here.”

Lin Yue rolled up her sleeve and dug her thumb into the dark tattoo marking her forearm. The pressure sent sharp needles of pain through the muscle. She pressed harder, grinding against the bone.

“Get your ass out here before I make you regret it.”

Silence answered. Not even a whisper of shadow.

“Fine.” Lin Yue pulled the folded steel knife from her belt. “Guess we’re doing this the hard way. Remember how much you screamed last time?”

The empty alley offered no response. Lin Yue scanned the cramped space between buildings. She wasn’t quite ready to carve herself outside…

Finding a private spot to carve herself up like some attention-seeking teenager would be a pain in the ass. The inn room wasn’t an option. She’d need to rent another temporary space just for this bullshit.

Fuck waiting around for Shadow to show up. If he wanted to play hide and seek, she had other options. Getting possessed sucked—but maybe some righteous cultivator could fix that.

The crowds parted as Lin Yue strode through district #11-23’s central tax square. No one gave her a dirty look. Amazing what new clothes could do.

No one even glanced at her missing fingers or scarred hands. The noble district’s marble facades gleamed ahead, leading toward the temple district’s golden spires.

Incense smoke wafted between the countless shrines and temples. Most were just tourist traps—places for merchants to pray for profits or lovesick idiots to beg for marriage prospects. But the towering righteous sect pagodas stood apart, their white stone walls reaching toward heaven.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She had never actually visited the place. She knew better than to rob these places. The gang’s lessons had been crystal clear—cultivator temples meant certain death. They always kept an outer disciple around, usually some poor bastard on punishment duty...

She headed for the nearest pagoda. Its brass bell glinted in the morning sun as she approached the stone steps.

A cold tendril wrapped around her wrist, yanking her backward. Shadow’s serpentine form materialized beside her. Was he almost a foot longer now? He was certainly more chubby.

“Are you trying to get us both killed?” Shadow’s shadowy coils writhed in agitation.

Lin Yue glared at the shadow dragon. “Oh, now you wake up? Ignored my threats, but suddenly you’re scared?”

Shadow twirled away from her. “I ate well. I was napping, and you’re incredibly rude.”

Lin Yue snatched at him, but he twisted away like smoke in the wind. The invisible tether kept him circling her just beyond her grasp as he drifted at its edge.

“You can’t catch me.” Shadow performed a lazy loop through the air. “I’m not some pet you can discipline.”

“Fine.” Lin Yue crossed her arms. “If we can’t have a civilized conversation, I’ll just get rid of you entirely.”

Shadow spiraled closer, red eyes gleaming. “Oh, you stupid girl. Running to righteous cultivators?” He snorted a puff of shadow. “They won’t surgically remove me like some tumor. They’ll obliterate us both! Righteous sects see everything in black and white—their rigid dogma means instant death for anything they don’t understand.”

Lin Yue’s lips curved into a predatory smile. “Not very bright telling me that, was it? Now I know exactly how to kill you if you keep playing games.”

“And yourself!” Shadow’s form expanded, nearly doubling in size. “Are you really that dense? Their purification techniques will destroy us both!”

“Newsflash, asshole.” Lin Yue spread her arms wide, gesturing at the temple-lined street. “My existence is pretty fucking miserable. Maybe I’m ready to embrace nihilism and take us both out.”

Shadow coiled through the air, red eyes glinting with amusement. “You’ve been living well lately. Nice room, good sleep, even taking care of that adorable little pet of yours. Why so dramatic?”

“Because if I’m stuck with a parasite, it better keep its end of the bargain.” Lin Yue jabbed a finger at him. “You promised immortality and power. Look at me—I’m still just a fucking street rat.”

Shadow performed a lazy barrel roll. “Perhaps. It is inconvenient to search for new hosts and your body possesses a double soul.” His snout formed into a mockery of a smile. “It’s nice and roomy in here, nice to uncurl in.”

Lin Yue froze. “Double soul? You mean because I transmigrated into this life?”

“Oh, impressive vocabulary!” Shadow twirled mockingly. “Yes, though you and the original consciousness merged seamlessly ages ago. The combination doubled your dantian and meridian capacity—quite the advantage for beginning cultivators.”

Shadow spun in gleeful circles. “Though that hardly matters since you’re just a puny mortal, while I remain the greatest shadow god in—”

Lin Yue dug her thumb brutally into the tattoo on her arm.

“Ouch!” Shadow’s form wavered.

“Focus, narcissist.” Lin Yue twisted her thumb deeper. “Stay on topic and drop the self-worship bullshit.”

Shadow puffed another cloud of shadow in indignation.

“Remember what happened last time you pissed me off? Want another taste?”

Shadow’s form wavered. “Fine! Fine, you violent little self-harming psychopath. I’ll help you cultivate. Just stop with the self-mutilation.”

“That’s better.” Lin Yue relaxed her grip. “Now about that immortality you promised—”

“Um, perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere?” Shadow coiled anxiously through the air. “About a dozen people are staring at the crazy woman talking to herself in front of a righteous sect temple.”

Lin Yue glanced around. Sure enough, a small crowd had gathered to watch her apparent mental breakdown. A mother yanked her child closer, whispering warnings about the dangers of spirit herbs. Two merchants pointed and snickered behind raised hands.

“Shit.” Lin Yue stuffed her hands in her sleeves and speed-walked south, keeping her head down. The crowd’s whispers followed her retreat toward the tax square.

She kept moving until she reached an honest slum building and pushed into an alley. Alone again. Good enough. “Alright asshole, how do we do this? What’s step one?”

Shadow snorted. “Well, we have options. There’s this lovely meridian-opening pill that might only kill you through spontaneous combustion. Or waste years meditating under some boring master—though I refuse to teach that garbage.”

“Get to the point.”

“Fine. We could find a qi-rich location to force your meridians open, but any decent spot in the city belongs to a sect.” Shadow’s red eyes gleamed. “Or... get me twelve spirit stones. I’ll show you how to burn those meridians wide open.”

“That’s it? Just spirit stones?”

“Just twelve perfect, pure, incredibly expensive spirit stones and a very high pain tolerance.” Shadow chuckled darkly. “Simple, right?”

Lin Yue leaned against the rough brick wall, crossing her arms. “Most of those options sound like shit. So just spirit stones then? How hard could that be?”

Shadow performed an elegant spiral, the air shimmering faintly with his motion. “Well, each one is worth more than you can possibly imagine.”

Lin Yue scoffed, though her face paled slightly. “You say that like I have a vault somewhere filled with treasure. Do I look like some nobleman’s daughter to you?”

Shadow’s form expanded, red eyes brightening with malicious glee. “But you are wealthy—at least by my standards. I’ll grant you the mercy of sharing some of those delicious souls I devoured. The demonic market pays handsomely for such commodities.”

“The what now?” Lin Yue straightened, eyes narrowing. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Since when do demonic cultivators have a market ?”

“Of course they do,” Shadow said. “My previous host frequented it often. Everything the righteous sects possess, the demonic cultivators mirror—just more discreetly. There’s even one near those filthy slums you love so much.”

Lin Yue pushed off the wall. “How the fuck have I never heard about this place? I know every shady deal spot in this district.”

Shadow’s form condensed, coiling closer. His maw split open, revealing rows of ghostly fangs that gleamed like polished obsidian. “Simple. Mortals who stumble in there become dinner.”